The Demons Within Us All
by Themulchmeister
Summary: A small tribute to the Devilman spin-off around episode 20 of the Anime. Kazumi tries to escape from the Eradication Units who are scouring the city for suspected 'beasts' when she encounters a girl who seems more similar to her than appearance suggests.


**In keeping up my flare of writing one-shot X-overs I've now come up with a X-Over for two great Anime: _Elfen Lied_ and _Devil Lady_ – which is of course the gender swapped spin-off of the famous _Devilman_ series. Lynn Okamoto and Go Nagai have my great thanks for creating such awesome Anime...I'd love to have seen them both team up and create a new series with Demons and Diclonii but I guess we can't have everything our way. So enjoy the next best thing: an Elfen Lied/Devilman Lady X-Over! And I must warn people who don't like blood, gore and sexual assault to abstain from reading as – well what did you expect with an Elfen Lied X-over anyway?**

**The Demons Within Us All**

She had to escape...

She had to flee her home, her own safehaven in order to survive. The world she once knew was now dying a slow and horrible death, ravaged by the darkness inside everyone's soul.

Humans were turning into completely monstrous forms – 'beasts' they were otherwise known as.. But Kazumi knew that the real beasts were in fact the humans...Humans who had begun widespread witch-hunts against the rising beast phenomenon...Humans who had turned against neighbours, friends and even their very own families in order to eradicate suspected demons.

Kazumi could no longer stay safe in the city. After her parents were horribly murdered by the beasts, she had sought a brief stay of refuge in a friend named Jun Fudou's apartment. However recent events had suggested to Kazumi that in fact the very woman she had sought comfort in had been a beast from the very beginning.

And when she recalled the beast's shadow as it left her massacred family that night. Recalling its wing-shaped hair and menacing golden eyes with red marks underneath – as if the beasts itself were crying bloody tears of regret, she knew the one person she could still trust was the one responsible for her parents' deaths.

The Beast Eradication Units had already raided Jun's apartment. Kazumi didn't have any time to gather her few belongings before she could hear more footsteps charging up the stairs.

She had to escape...If she stayed here any longer, they would accuse her of being one of the 'beasts' too and she would be 'dealt with' just like the many others.

Kazumi ran across the other side of the hall until she reached the fire exit. Just as she could make out the white HAZMAT jackets of the Eradication Squad, she turned away and began her decent down the exterior stairwell. As she reached the ladder, she carefully stepped down each rung before she had to make a small drop to the ground, bending her legs as to reduce the impact of the landing.

The main street was just a short walk out of the alley. Kazumi could already hear the incessant screams and wails of the masses. Another miscellaneous soul began changing, their body convulsing and contorting as its body outgrew its clothing, changing into its true form. Green scales and and array of spiked limbs protruded from the beast as it began tearing into any unfortunate humans which occupied its radius. It didn't take too long for the Eradication Squads to unleash their lead into the beast. As the beast swayed around in its last throes of resistance, one of the soldiers unleashed Hade's flame on the monster, engulfing its entire body until it was burned to a tiny morsel of ash and powdered bone.

"_Hey you there! Have you got your inoculation certificate!" _A voice called out to Kazumi from the street as several more men in space suits began storming towards her. She wasn't safe in the streets either.

She had to escape...Back down the alley as more of the soldiers entered the pursuit. 'Why were they even after her?' she wondered. She knew she wasn't a beast like the others. She was still a human – at least that what she believed.

She knew she should have had the inoculation to rid herself of the potential beast gene. But she wasn't all too confident about what exactly may be contained inside the vaccine. The government wants to eliminate all beasts 'for the good of humanity'. So wouldn't it be a lot easier for them to simply euthanase all carriers before the beast symptoms became apparent?

No...Kazumi knew she did the right thing by not taking the inoculation...She wasn't going to be fooled by them...She knew what they were really up to...

"AGH!" Kazumi felt her flight fade away in a matter of seconds as she tripped over into dirty puddle.

"There she is! Arrest her!" The soldiers were closing in now, soon she would receive a fate no better than the beasts themselves.

She could hear their wet footsteps approaching, but she must have sprained her ankle. Now chained to the ground with pain, she knew this was the end...

She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to her Jun-chan...

"Hey..." Kazumi heard a loud whisper coming from a manhole nearby. "They're after you too right? Come down here..."

"Who are you?" Kazumi found herself asking to the shadowy person holding up the manhole. Judging by the tone of its voice, she assumed it was a girl not much younger than herself.

"Quickly!" The voice spoke with extra urgency. "They'll catch the both of us if you don't hurry."

"Right!" Kazumi followed the voice and crawled over to the manhole before she made her way down to the underground labyrinth that was the city's sewerage network.

As her feet splashed onto the ground Kazumi seethed as the pain in her ankle returned.

"Oh no! Are you hurt?" The voice spoke with great sympathy. "Here let me see if I can do something about it." An outline of the girl soon appeared through the darkness. As the girl kneeled down and began studying her ankle Kazumi could make out her slender arms and wild, medium length hair. She wasn't too sure what the girl was doing to her ankle, even through the absent light, she didn't look like she was touching the wounded ankle. Yet she could feel a gentle embrace across her ankle, as if a nurse's hands were gently massaging the ankle to relieve the pain. "Does that feel any better?"

Kazumi put some weight onto her ankle and smiled. "That's amazing! It doesn't hurt at all anymore!"

"Good, come this way." The girl reached her hand out to Kazumi as she gripped it tightly. The mysterious girl took her along the long and narrow tunnels until they reached a large open bunker. The underground room was littered with old furniture, street signs and other rubbish and debris from the city which was dumped down here a long time ago. Light came down from the ceiling; Kazumi could now see who her saviour was. She noticed the girl had pink hair and was wearing a beanie over her head as well a plain grey sweater and black skirt.

"They shouldn't catch us down here." The girl tried assuring her new friend. Though her expression seemed like one of an adult she then offered Kazumi a warm smile as she asked her, "so what's your name?"

"Kazumi." Kazumi answered nervously.

"That's a nice name." The pink haired girl answered. "My name is Kaede. I don't normally share my name with strangers, but you're different."

"Really?" Kazumi said quite surprised.

"Most humans are too scared to ever get close enough anyway, and most people who I believe are my friends end up deceiving me or abandoning me anyway..." Kaede lowered her eyes as she recalled her sad memories. "But you're just like me aren't you? So it's okay if I show you these." Kaede pinched the top of her beanie hat as she revealed a pair of cone shaped horns which had been hiding underneath the head-wear.

"You have horns?" Kazumi gasped in shock. "So you're a beast as well?"

"Of course..." Kaede answered sounding quite annoyed. "Aren't you?"

"No...I'm a human!" Kazumi declared as her voice echoed across the room.

"I see..." Kaede averted her gaze away from the girl, her bony horns visible as she turned her back. "I bet you think I'm a freak too now don't you?"

Kazumi hesitated for a moment, as Kaede began to half turn back almost expecting her to say 'yes' when Kazumi responded with, "I think they're kinda cute actually."

Kaede's sullen expression suddenly lifted when she heard those words. "You really do? Most humans are frightened of my horns, yet..." Kaede grabbed both of Kazumi's hands as she rejoiced in her positive reaction. With rosy cheeks, glimmering eyes and a wide-open smile, she really did seem just like any other girl at that point.

"No...You're not scary at all..." Kazumi shook her head and smiled. "You're just a little different, but that's okay...I can tell you're not like the other beasts."

"That's good..." Kaede sighed as the two of them sat down on an old lounge. Kaede lifted out a bag from beside the lounge and poured out the bread rolls, chocolate bars and other wrapped food which had been hoarded inside. "Dig in!"

…

The two girls enjoyed chatting with each other for the next few hours. Kazumi told Kaede all about her aspirations to go to college whilst doing modelling on the side. When it came round to Kaede's turn to talk about her life story on the other hand, the mood seemed to darken.

"I grew up in an orphanage for most of my life. I never knew my parents and probably never will." Kaede gripped a warm cup of tea she had prepared by the tiny fire burning in front of her. "I was always bullied by the other students because of my appearance. Always told I was some sort of animal because of my horns." Kaede gripped her cup tighter as she scowled at the flames. "One day I just couldn't take it anymore...I killed those bullies and have killed many others ever since that day."

Kazumi suddenly shifted back from Kaede. "Y-you have killed people?"

Kaede nodded faintly as she slowly cast her gaze back towards the chestnut haired girl. "Its true, I really am a monster...I guess even a kind hearted human such as yourself can never truly understand the pain I feel."

"I do understand." Kazumi struck more surprise in the horned girl. "I do understand how you must feel. You can't help that you were born this way. It sounds to me like the humans are the real monsters, the way they treated you...In a way..." A golden shimmer began to appear in Kazumi's eyes. "**It's almost as if they deserved it...**"

"Kazumi, are you alright?" Kaede noticed the brief shining glimmer in her eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine...I guess what I mean to say is...I see how you could be driven to such extreme actions." Kazumi gripped the base of her own cup of piping hot tea. "You seem like a nice girl, so the humans must've done some awful things to make you kill them."

"They were horrible...A lot of them were." Kaede sighed as she reflected on the dark chapters of her life. "Not long ago, I had a friend that was as understanding as you are." Kaede began to shed a few tears out of her blood red eyes. "She didn't mind my horns either. But she was taken away from me...Killed by the monsters that call themselves humans in front of my very eyes...I never thought I'd find another true friend in my life ever again." Kaede offered a teary smile as she faced the short-haired girl. "But now that I have found you...I can put away my vengeance against the humans for a little while longer."

"_The tunnel leads out here! It looks like a hideout!" _Their breif moment of peace was soon destroyed as the Eradication Squads were already closing in on their hideout.

"Shit! We have to get out of here!" Kaede grabbed Kazumi's hands as they resumed their flight down the other sewerage tunnel. As their feet splashed along the murky waters their footsteps left a trail of noise for the pursuers to follow.

"If we make it to the end of this stretch of tunnel there should be a way out..." Kaede assured the chestnut haired girl. The two of them kept spiriting for their dear lives as they reached a small lit up section of the underground sewerage network. "Here it is!" Kaede turned around as Kazumi reached the ladder. "You go up first, I'll make sure to hold these guys back if they show up!"

"But if you get caught..." Kazumi expressed her concern for her new horned friend.

Kaede offered a gentle smile as she briefly turned back to her human companion. "Don't worry, I can fight back you know." As the soldier's footsteps became wetter and louder Kaede's expression hardened again. "Now hurry!"

Kazumi nodded sharply as she clambered up the ladder. As she neared the top, she pushed off the grate which barred the underworld from the surface. With a grunt of relief she pushed away the grate and lifted her head towards the surface. "Okay its all clear Kaede, let's go!"

For a second there must've been a small earthquake, as some sort of force had made the concrete foundations of the tunnels below collapse and cave in. "AAARRGGHHH!" The horrid screams of the soldiers as they had been crushed by the falling walls carried on out to the surface as Kaede virtually rose up to the surface, hovering like an angel.

"That's amazing! Is that your beast power?" Kazumi asked between panting breaths.

"Kinda." Kaede answered as she took a few quick turns of her head, scanning the surrounds for anymore enemies. "I guess you could say I have hands that reach out further than normal."

"That sounds like an awesome power!" Kazumi beamed with the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "Now let's go and find Jun-chan!"

"Jun-chan?" Kaede lowered an eyebrow.

"She's my best friend – well actually – more like an older sister to me." Kazumi explained as she played around with the collar of her jacket. "Now that I understand you beasts a little better, I think I'm no longer afraid to go and see her again."

"I see..." Kaede began walking towards a junction on the alley they had emerged onto. "Then let's find your friend...The more allies we have the better chance we can survive this."

"Unn!" Kazumi nodded cheerfully as they ran over towards the corner. It felt as though nothing could stop them now.

"Targets sighted!" A loud and booming voice interrupted their brief moment of joy. As they turned the corner they were assaulted by a wall of white-clad men with guns. "This is the end of the line for you monsters." One of the unmasked soldiers - possibly the leader of the platoon, stepped forward as he punched Kazumi to the ground.

"HEY LEAVE HER OUT OF-"

"SHUT UP YOU HORNED FREAK!" The soldier cut Kaede off. "...Or you'll be first!" The soldier stomped his hard black boot onto Kazumi's buttocks, pushing her face into the muddy asphalt. "Hehehe! C'mon girlie, you're a monster too aren't you, show us your beast form eh?"

"STOP IT SHE'S JUST AN INNOCENT HUMAN!" Kaede pleaded with the man. As she rushed over to help her friend several soldiers with gas masks pushed her down to the wet ground. "UNGH!"

"HEHEHE! As if a human would walk around with a horned monster like you!" The unmasked man licked his lips in sadistic pleasure. "Now you can stay there like a good little monster and watch!"

"NOOOO!" Kazumi squealed as the perverted solder lifted her skirt, revealing her white panties.

"Oooh, you really are a beast eh? No normal chick could sound as feisty as yourself right guys hehehe!"

The masked grunts all began chuckling as they surrounded the two girls. Kaede grit her teeth as her jaw was being pushed against the hard concrete.

"PLEASE GOD NO!" Kazumi's cries were left waning as the man pulled down her panties and began exploring her lower body. With a devious grin rising up his face he began inserting two of his fingers in and out of Kazumi's privates. Kaede could only watch on as the tears seeped out of Kazumi's face, her squeals softening to a mere whimper as the man finally let out his two fingers, a trail of clear fluid tricking down his appendages.

"Oooooh...What a horny bitch you are!" The man grunted as he began loosening the belt on his uniform. "Looks like this one's already prepared herself."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The noises of their laughter carried across the darkened alley. There was no way of escaping...The masks on these men hid their true nature. Kaede tried drowning out the laughter, but she couldn't hold back any longer.

"I thought beasts were meant to be scary, but I guess this one's only good for pleasure." The man began shuffling down his trousers as Kazumi closed her eyes, hoping she could escape her own fate.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."_

Kaede knew who the real monsters were...The real monsters were right in front of her...

She had to destroy the monsters...She would be doing the world a favour...

_**"DIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"**_

**SSSSPPPLLEEECCHH. **A column of blood, flesh, organs and bones raised itself in a glorious fountain across the alley. The walls were painted a coat of crimson as the soldier's blood draped across the walls, their intestines and brain matter decorating the walls like ornaments as they slowly slid down to the ground. Teeth and eyes bounced across the muddy ground as long trails of intestines and chunks of organs splattered across the asphalt, soaking the ground with human offal. Only the lower halves of the masked men remained intact – ironically keeping the one organ which had driven their lust undamaged.

Kazumi's eyes opened as she felt the wet sensation of blood and flesh slap across her face. Her eyes trembled in complete and utter terror as she witness the soldiers legs slump to the ground. As her dried tears mixed with the blood across her cheeks she could hear the unmasked man screaming as he witnessed his entire platoon obliterated in an instant.

"M-M-MONST-" His voice was met with the same treatment as the other so called 'humans'. His tongue hung awkwardly out of his mouth as his head and spine were ripped off his entire body.

Kazumi was too shocked to speak let alone breath. As Kaede lifted herself out of the bloody swamp, her arms swung loosely by each side as if they were useless attachments to her frame; her pink hair now dyed a new tone of red as blood trailed across her forehead and dripped off her nose. With her face lowered, hiding the death in her eyes, she took two steps forward before holding out a bloodied hand to the distraught Kazumi.

"Now that you see who I really am...Will you still come with me?"

Kazumi's eyes danced across the bloody artwork scattered before her. All she could see was death and destruction awaiting her path. But it didn't take the chestnut-haired girl long to give her answer.

She took Kaede's hand and answered. "Of course I will..."

* * *

><p><strong>And that's where I'll leave this short tale. I guess the rest of their fate is up to your imagination. I went a bit gung-ho with the violence and gore at the end there - not usually my style but anyway I hope you liked it. Please review ^'_'^!<strong>


End file.
